Child Bereavement UK

What Child Bereavement UK does

Child Bereavement UK is a UK registered charity (Charity Numbers 1061359 in England and Wales, SC041140 in Scotland) founded in 1994 by psychotherapist Julia Samuel MBE to support bereaved children, young people up to age 25, and parents who have lost a baby or child. The organisation operates a headquarters in Gloucester and delivers its services through a free, multi-channel support infrastructure including a freephone helpline (0800 02 888 40), live chat, email, and WhatsApp/text available 8am-8pm weekdays without appointment. In 2026, Winston's Wish merged with Child Bereavement UK to form a single unified national bereavement charity.

The charity's product surface comprises four principal verticals: (1) free direct support services (helpline, live chat, WhatsApp/text, email); (2) digital content — animated films such as The Invisible Suitcase, Volcano, and Puddle Jumping, plus downloadable guides, quick guides, and webinars; (3) physical and digital publications — books, e-books, memory boxes, journals, and Alien Feelings titles sold through shop.childbereavementuk.org (price range £4.25–£12.99); and (4) professional training — bespoke and modular courses for healthcare (NHS, neonatal, hospice), education, social care, emergency services, and corporate employers, including the one-year "Working With Bereaved Children And Young People" course and the Ask Me: Education programme. The mobile app "Grief Works," designed by Julia Samuel, hosts over 30 interactive exercises. The organisation runs a volunteer ecosystem through a Rosterfy portal, including festival volunteering, and a Youth Team / Junior Youth Ambassadors programme.

The business model is donation-funded non-profit. Annual funds raised from supporters are £6.7M (per the website), supplemented by e-commerce sales, professional training fees, corporate partnerships, legacy giving, payroll giving, and challenge events. Distribution is direct-to-consumer (free support), B2B (commissioned training), and e-commerce (shop). 98 employees deliver the services; cumulative beneficiaries number 130,000, with 3.5M digital users reached via online grief content. The charity is governed by a board of trustees; no venture capital or institutional ownership is indicated. Geographic restriction: Northern Ireland is excluded from certain support services.

Name

Child Bereavement UK

Legal name

Child Bereavement UK

Website

https://childbereavementuk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Child Bereavement UK is a UK registered charity founded in 1994 that provides free specialist bereavement support to children, young people up to age 25, and parents bereaved of a baby or child, via helpline, digital, and professional training channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bereavement Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO)

Keywords

• Bereavement support services
• Grief counselling charity
• Child bereavement training
• Bereavement publications shop
• Professional bereavement education

Headquarters

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and fundraising: Charitable donations from individuals, including one-time gifts, regular monthly giving, payroll giving, and in-memory giving. Funds raised from challenge events (bungee jumps, Great North Run, National Three Peaks, skydives) and general fundraising campaigns.
2. E-commerce shop sales: Sale of bereavement support books, e-books, memory boxes, journals, and resources through the Child Bereavement UK online shop. Products include titles such as Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine (£12.99), A Child's Grief (£10.99), Beyond the Rough Rock (£8.49), We All Grieve (£10.99), and You Just Don't Understand.
3. Professional training services: Bespoke and sector-specific training for professionals in education, health and social care, emergency services, and corporate sectors. Training courses include a one-year course 'Working With Bereaved Children And Young People' and modular training for hospice and neonatal staff.
4. Corporate partnerships: Corporate partnership programme allowing businesses to support the charity, including event partnerships at festivals where companies serve as beneficiary charity, and cause-related marketing.
5. Legacy giving and philanthropy: Leave a gift in your Will programme, charitable trusts and major gifts, and philanthropy partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Child Bereavement UK provides free, multi-channel bereavement support for children and young people up to age 25 and for parents who have lost a baby or child, delivered via a freephone helpline, live chat, WhatsApp/text and email without appointment. It also sells bereavement books, e-books, memory boxes and journals through an online shop, runs bespoke and education-sector training programmes for professionals in health, education and social care, distributes a library of animated grief films and downloadable resources, and operates the Grief Works mobile app.

Product overview

Child Bereavement UK offers a comprehensive suite of bereavement support services and resources for children, young people (up to age 25), parents, and families. The organization operates an e-commerce shop selling books (physical and e-book formats), memory boxes, journals, and other resources priced between £8.49 and £12.99. Support services include a free helpline (0800 02 888 40), live chat, email, and WhatsApp/text support available weekdays 8am-8pm. The portfolio includes animated educational films such as The Invisible Suitcase and Volcano, professional training programs (Ask Me: Education, bespoke workplace training), volunteer programs including festival volunteering, and a Grief Works mobile application. Winston's Wish and Child Bereavement UK have unified into one charity, with resources carrying previous branding while information remains current. The organization is registered as Charity Number 1061359 (England and Wales) and SC041140 (Scotland), with VAT Number 793 9522 79.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bereavement Support Service (Helpline, Live Chat, Email, WhatsApp/Text) Free, confidential multi-channel bereavement support for children and young people up to age 25 and for parents bereaved of a baby or child, delivered via freephone helpline 0800 02 888 40, live chat on the website, email and WhatsApp/text 07418 341 800, available 8am-8pm Monday to Friday with no appointment needed.
• Ask Me: Education
• Education Sector Training
• Bespoke and Workplace Training
• Working With Bereaved Children And Young People (one-year course)
• Animated Grief Films
• Bereavement Support Books
• E-books
• Memory Boxes
• Bereavement Journals
• Support Resources
• Grief Works Mobile App
• Festival and Event Volunteering Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• 130,000 bereaved children, young people and parents supported
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Elliot's FootprintminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChild Bereavement UK works in partnership with Elliot's Footprint in Leeds to provide bereavement support to families. Steve was supported by Child Bereavement UK in Leeds, in partnership with Elliot's Footprint, after his daughter Matilda died unexpectedly aged 11.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Direct peers

• The Compassionate Friends: UK charity supporting bereaved parents and families after the death of a child, including sibling support. Direct peer in the child-bereavement segment with peer support groups and helpline delivery.
• Winston's Wish: Former direct peer and now merged with Child Bereavement UK. Was the UK's other leading specialist charity for bereaved children and young people, providing helpline support, online resources, and professional training — directly comparable mission, audience, and service model.
• Grief UK (formerly Childhood Bereavement Network): UK membership body and support hub for organisations working with bereaved children. Highly comparable audience (professionals supporting bereaved children) and overlapping remit in advocacy, training, and resource curation.
• Sands (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity): UK charity supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby, working closely with NHS maternity units. Highly comparable for the parents-bereaved-of-a-baby segment, neonatal bereavement training, and hospital partnership model.

Emerging players

• Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC): UK charity supporting parents through antenatal screening and when a baby is diagnosed with a condition. Adjacent in the baby-loss and pregnancy-after-loss support space and a potential referral partner for Child Bereavement UK's neonatal and baby-loss services.

Broad incumbents

• Mind: Major UK mental health charity providing information, support, and training. Comparable as a large-scale UK charity with helpline services, professional training, and a paid training catalogue, though operating across all mental health conditions rather than specialising in bereavement.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Large UK charity providing health information, financial support, and training. Comparable fundraising scale (£200m+) and professional training infrastructure, though focused on cancer rather than child bereavement specifically.
• Samaritans: UK-wide emotional support charity operating a 24/7 helpline. Comparable in operating a free, multi-channel helpline at national scale, though serving crisis and general emotional support rather than specialising in bereaved children.
• Cruse Bereavement Support: The UK's largest bereavement charity, providing free support to adults, children, and young people. Comparable bereavement support and training services, though broader in scope across all ages rather than specialising in children and young people.
• Hospice UK: National charity for hospice and palliative care in the UK. Overlapping audience (hospice staff training, bereavement support) and trains professionals who then refer families to bereavement services such as Child Bereavement UK.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/childbereavementuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/childbereavementchar
• Facebookfacebook.com/childbereavementuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/child-bereavement-uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/childbereavementuk
• TikToktiktok.com/@childbereavementuk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Child Bereavement UK